Vocations Office Implementing New Marketing Plan
 

God is constantly calling men to the priesthood. Helping them to answer that call is up to us.

With that in mind, the Diocesan Vocations Office is implementing a new marketing plan with a twofold purpose: to invite men to consider the possibility that God is calling them to the priesthood, and to help them understand what being a priest is all about.

According to Father Christopher Washington, director of vocations, God often reveals his will for us through others.

“Most seminarians and priests will tell you that they first seriously considered a vocation to the priesthood after receiving a personal invitation,” he said. “If a man is open to the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood, it is important that somebody recognizes it and affirms it.”

Along with the basic information such as educational requirements and aspects of priestly life, the marketing plan also includes the “tools” for discernment ­– how to figure out if being a priest is God’s plan for a given man.

“This is essential since a good number of men in our Diocese are open to the possibility, but they are not sure how such a call is possible when they have thoughts of marriage, fathering children and other interests,” Father Washington said. “So the informational component of the plan will focus heavily on discernment, and it will show that such thoughts are normal and do not necessarily conflict with a call from God to be a priest.”

The marketing plan will use a variety of vehicles – including advertising, social network technology, direct mail, personal contact, visits to schools and parishes – to engage potential candidates, give them information, and help them to undertake a fruitful discernment process.

For example, use of the Internet will be emphasized because it has become the ordinary means of communication and information gathering for young people. Blogs, Facebook and Twitter will be part of the mix. Also, a website devoted exclusively to vocations is under construction.

Articles, such as the series of priest profiles already underway, will appear on a regular basis in The Catholic Light. Programming for Catholic Television: CTV is being planned, and a DVD and booklet are being prepared for distribution.

Some candidates contact Father Washington directly, but most are identified by priests and parishioners.

“I cannot emphasize enough the importance of our priests identifying candidates,” Father Washington said. “Research on vocations consistently cites the importance of a personal connection with a priest who serves as a role model for a young man. Every other component of our plan is designed to build on this initial connection.”

Father Washington will have an initial meeting with the candidate, after which he is invited to join a discernment group. These groups bring the men together with priests so they can discuss topics such as prayer, celibacy, seminary life, etc. Each group has a priest moderator/host as well as other priests who will be invited to share their own vocation stories and reflect on different aspects of the priesthood.

“Often times a man is considering priesthood but he thinks that he is the only one or that his fears or concerns are unique to him,” Father Washington said. “By bringing men together with some of our priests they realize that they are not alone and that their fears and concerns are shared by others. They also realize that the aspects of a priest’s life that attracts or draws them to consider becoming a priest are shared by others.”

Three discernment groups have begun to meet, and it is hoped that more groups will form in the future.

Father Washington maintains regular contact with each man. Candidates are also offered the assistance of a priest spiritual director. “Although it is important for a candidate to stay connected with the priest who initially identified him, having a priest versed in spiritual direction is often an invaluable aid in the discernment process. We are blessed in our Diocese to have such priests,” Father Washington said.

The vocations director has been visiting Catholic grade schools and high schools, celebrating parish weekend Masses, and meeting with parish CCD students and youth groups so that he can speak about vocations. He also has been in contact with the campus ministers of the area colleges and universities.

Other components of the marketing plan, such as the website and direct mail materials, will be implemented over the next few months.

Father Washington stressed that all of these efforts must be anchored in prayer. “Our Lord told us that we must beg the master of the harvest to send us more laborers, so we must pray constantly for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life.”

In addition, young people must be taught to ask the right question. Often times, he explained, we hear people ask a young person “What do you want to do with your life?” However, if we believe in a God who created us and told us that even before we were in our mother’s womb he knew us and that every hair on our head has been counted by Him, is that the right question? No, we should be telling young people to ask God what He has planned for them, trusting that if we follow his will for our life we will find peace and fulfillment.

“Sadly, it is too often the case that families, especially parents, have gone from being the ones most encouraging of a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, to the ones who will most likely discourage such a vocation. Parents need to realize that their children’s fulfillment and happiness will come not from doing their will but the will of God,” Father Washington said.

Vocations, he noted, are fostered in families where faith is a high priority, and in parishes that are alive and zealous for preaching the Gospel. It is hoped that the parish renewal currently underway through Called to Holiness and Mission will bear much fruit in the area of vocations. Pastors are encouraged to offer Holy Hours and other gatherings to promote vocations.

Although he currently holds the title of vocations director, Father Washington emphasized that all the priests and faithful in the Diocese of Scranton are vocations directors in their own right.

“This work is not left to one man but all of us. The Lord of the harvest will bless us with vocations when we pray and work together to promote and encourage them,” he said.